MPA at APU

Does anyone have any experience with APU and their MPA degree?
IF so do you know if they require exams for any courses and if so are tehy proctored or online ?
Last, they want a stats for that degree. I just got done with research and stats class for TESC and I have a stats class through ALEKS and I have a behavioral stats class through ALEKS. Do you think they will take one of those for the grad degree credit?
They were all done for undergrad and the Aleks by ace states for undergrad if im not mistaken. But none the less APU's class is basic's from what it sounds like and I dont want to take STATS again. Im all stat'sed out..
Thanks

 

AMU is an excellent program, but they are not NASPAA accredited which could present a problem if you want to teach it or if you want to get hired by government as a city/county manager/administrator. NASPAA is to MPA what AACSB is to business.

 

Yeah I saw that .But, I couldnt find one that was around the same amount plus that I could finish in 10-12 months like APU.
Do you know of any ?

 

Also let me add that doesnt require the GRE test ..

 

Did you really do the research into how applicable that is? You just asked about it yesterday and one person said it was the equivalent and now you are touting it as the truth. If you have really done the research since yesterday then wonderful, otherwise if I was the OP I would check into how important that really is. I don't see the government caring too much about it. For example, Villanova just got their accreditation last year.

Can any recent grads chime in on how graduating from a NASPAA accredited program or not affected their job chances?

 

Also, I saw that truckie in the other post was the one who brought up the importance of it and is an MPA graduate. Hopefully they can chime in. A quick browse through USAJOBS for public administration positions didn't show anything about a NASPAA accreditation requirement.

I would just hate to see a person not complete a good program or pay a premium for something that isn't required.

 

There is not much of a premium for these programs. Troy State and UWF (I think) have MPA programs for under $15K.

 

I'm a federal employee and as long as your degree is accredited it should be fine. In that case a MPA from AMU would suffice.

 

For state/county/city, it might be a requirement.

 

I can't agree with this. Many prominent universities have MPA/MPP programs that are not NASPAA-accredited. A brief Google search shows that none of the MPA/MPP programs at these schools are NASPAA-accredited: University of California (all campuses), Cornell, Stanford, Duke, and UMass-Amherst. Conversely, the MBA program at each of these schools is AACSB-accredited.

 

Same for my state/local gov.

 

It was asked about long before yesterday. However, you saw it asked about for the first time yesterday -- so it's definitely new for you.

 

AMU will be seeking NASPAA accreditation for their MPA program.

 

Did your source tell you when? AMU isn't an insitutional member of NASPAA. A school must be a NASPAA member before they can begin the accreditation process.

 

My point was just because it has been mentioned doesn't make it fact as others in this thread have pointed out. I am sure it is new for you as well since you are still asking questions about it.

 

NASPAA should not be the end-all deciding factor for anyone seeking an MPA degree, it is just preferable in many circles much as AACSB is for business. If you have no intention of ever going into academia, then you should not worry about it.

With that being said - you can find some very reasonably priced NASPAA MPA degrees from solid schools.

NASPAA - National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration

 

Thanks for responding. Back to the OPs question, how do you think the AMU program would compare to the one you completed?

 

Here's the message:

 

Don't quit your day job.

 

It is alright, I have a hard time admitting when I am wrong as well. Don't worry, you'll continue to grow.